Streams of Silver - Chapter Two

[kalinara]

So last time, we met Artemis Entreri, the man who is Drizzt's rival in both fighting ability and purple prose. At least he's not incompetent?



So we join our heroes at Luskan. Which amuses me, because I guess Entreri's plans of catching them along the way failed miserably. I'd like to imagine that he's stuck in the snow. Warm weather folks never know how to deal with snow.

Luskan is apparently known as "the City of Sails". Which I did not know, neat! Wulfgar in particular is very impressed with its size. The narration is not, oddly enough, making a weirdly passive aggressive sounding point about how at "fifteen thousand small" it doesn't compare much to the huge cities of the South. Hush, narration, let the poor boy enjoy his first city.

Wulfgar does note the guard towers and soldiers though, and finds that it's not a promising invitation.

Drizzt tells us that Luskan does not normally welcome visitors. Merchants are okay, but ordinary people are turned away. How does Drizzt know this? He's no scholar, and he's usually naval gazing too much to talk to other people. Has he been to Luskan in previous travels? Or does Salvatore just want to show us how knowledgeable Drizzt is without providing a logical basis for that knowledge.

Bruenor knows that their first contact is in there though, and he wants to get in.

Okay, so now we DO get some info as to where Drizzt got his knowledge. I rescind my complaint:

Drizzt nodded and did not press the argument. He had given Luskan a wide berth on his original journey to Ten-Towns. The city's inhabitants, primarily human, looked upon other races with disdain. Even surface elves and dwarves were often refused entry. Drizzt suspected that the guards would do more to a drow elf than simply put him out.

Bruenor wants to break camp early and demands to know where Regis is. He's asleep. We're told he's pretty much always the first to bed and the last to wake up, and always needs help to do that. Okay. It's not like the dude is staying up until all hours of the night and THEN complaining about an early morning. He's a different species than you. Maybe halflings need more sleep.

Bruenor orders Drizzt to kick him, but Drizzt suggests letting him sleep. He thinks getting into Luskan will be easier at dusk. Bruenor is initially confused, but then notices Drizzt's "sullen visage" and "the trepidation in his eyes". They'd been so close that Bruenor forgot that Drizzt is an outcast, but the farther they travel, the less Drizzt himself will be known, so now he'll be "judged by the color of his skin and the reputation of his people"

Um. This is really the point where the racism metaphor falls apart, as I've mentioned before. At this point in Forgotten Realms history (at least as had been revealed when this book came out), Drizzt is the ONLY non-evil drow. The drow regularly come to the surface, raid towns and villages and slaughter everyone. This isn't propaganda. It is literally what happens in the Forgotten Realms.

This isn't a matter of skin color and reputation. This is a matter of people who are terrified that they're going to get murdered! For a damn good reason.

But anyway, Bruenor is a good friend and decides he could use more sleep himself.

When they finally do break camp, they realize they actually misjudged the distance: they get to Luskan after dusk and into the early hours of the night. The description of the north gate is pretty good:

"The structure was as unwelcoming as Luskan's reputation: a single iron-bound door set into the stone wall between two short, squared towers was tightly shut before them. A dozen fur-capped heads poked out from the parapet above the gate and the companions sensed many more eyes, and probably bows, trained upon them from the darkness atop the towers."

Bruenor announces himself, but the guard tells him that the gates closed at sunset and orders him to go away. Drizzt puts a calming hand on his shoulder, while Regis "unexpectedly" takes control. I wish they'd stop underestimating Regis, because this is a dude who walked into an evil wizard's lair armed only with a magic jewel that he didn't even know would work. (AND IT DIDN'T).

Regis asks the man's name, and introduces himself as the First Citizen of Bryn Shander, and asks if they've seen his scrimshaw. The guards actually DO recognize the name and when Regis makes a polite threat about how the spokesmen of the Ten Towns won't be happy to hear that he was turned away from their "favored trading partner" they let him in.

Regis's diplomacy impresses the others, but soon goes to waste when the guards come out and ask what Regis has for trade. Suddenly, Bruenor is pulling out his axe and asking if it looks like a merchant's blade. Regis and Drizzt calm him down, while Wulfgar sternly glares at the "impudent gatekeeper".

Honestly, it seems like a fair question to me. And if folks were behaving logically, then Bruenor's behavior would have gotten them kicked straight out of the city. But Bruenor's not the designated fuck up in this group, so the scene continues. Regis tries to bluff that he's scouting the marketplace, but the guards don't buy it. They do however end up catching a glimpse of Drizzt's skin when his cloak shifts and unexpectedly, they recognize him! And they respect his reputation!

So basically all of Drizzt's angst earlier was for nothing. But this is Drizzt, so he can still find a way to angst:

Drizzt nodded again, but did not answer, uncomfortable with this unusual attention. Never before had a gatekeeper bothered to ask him his name or his business. And the drow had quickly come to understand the advantage of avoiding gates altogether, silently slipping over a city's wall in the darkness and seeking the seedier side, where he might at least have a chance of standing unnoticed in the dark corners with the other rogues. Had his name and heroics brought him a measure of respect even this far from Ten-Towns?

Bruenor turned to Drizzt and winked, his own anger dissipated by the fact that his friend had finally been given his due from a stranger.

But Drizzt wasn't convinced. He didn't dare hope for such a thing - it left him too vulnerable to feelings that he had fought hard to hide. He preferred to keep his suspicions and his guard as close to him as the dark cowl of his cloak. He cocked a curious ear as the two soldiers backed away to hold a private conversation.

So I like that Bruenor is happy to see Drizzt getting some recognition. I am rolling my eyes at the way that Drizzt can simultaneously treat recognition as his due ("had his name and heroics" - that's not a thought of a modest man, Mr. Salvatore) while STILL being unsatisfied with it.

Anyway, the other guard, who is called "the Nightkeeper", still doesn't want to let a drow in, but the first guard, who is named Jierdan (just in case we see him again), confirms their identies as the heroes of the Ten Towns.

Also, apparently Bruenor's standard is a foaming mug. That's not stereotypical at all. He also doesn't specifically know Wulfgar's name, though he deduces him as the young king of the tribes. Jierdan points out that Luskan isn't the only port, and that the scrimshaw and other trade goods are pretty valuable. This is a persuasive argument, since the soldiers answer to the merchants in Luskan. Our heroes are allowed in.

Salvatore has a talent for these kind of minor characters, I think. I like Jierdan, just like I like Cassius, Agorwal, and Glensather from the first book. I won't be unhappy if we see him again. I could wish that some of these minor characters could be women, though.

So anyway, Bruenor nudges Drizzt as they go, pleased at the attention. Drizzt is less pleased though:

Drizzt shrugged again and Bruenor chuckled, assuming that his friend was merely embarrassed by the fame. Regis and Wulfgar, too, shared in Bruenor's mirth, the big man giving the drow a good-hearted slap on the back as he slipped to the lead of the troupe.

But Drizzt's discomfort stemmed from more than embarrassment. He had noted the grin on Jierdan's face as they had passed, a smile that went beyond admiration. And while he had no doubts that some tales of the battle with Akar Kessell's goblin army had reached the City of Sails, it struck Drizzt odd that a simple soldier knew so much about him and his friends, while the gatekeeper, solely responsible for determining who passed into the city, knew nothing.

That is, admittedly, a good point. Perhaps Jierdan isn't the random side character that I thought he was. But how could he have been at the gate at just the right time?

So anyway, we get more description of Luskan, and I like this too:

Luskan's streets were tightly packed with two- and three-tory buildings, a reflection of the desperation of the people there to huddle within the safety of the city's high wall, away from the ever-present dangers of the savage northland. An occasional tower, a guard post, perhaps, or a prominent citizen's or guild's way to show superiority, sprouted from the roofline. A wary city, Luskan survived, even flourished, in the dangerous frontier by holding fast to an attitude of alertness that often slipped over the line into paranoia. It was a city of shadows, and the four visitors this night keenly felt the curious and dangerous stares peeking out from every darkened hole as they made their way.

So our heroes make their way to the roughest section of towns: the docks. They reach "Half-Moon Street" which Regis, Drizzt and Bruenor recognize immediately as "a collecting ground for vagabonds and ruffians". Wulfgar also senses the threatening atmosphere, but "not understanding that the area was atypically foul, he was determined to approach his first experience with civilization with an open mind."

Aw. I love Wulfgar.

Bruenor takes them to a place called the Cutlass. Regis is very nervous: he's seen places like this before when he was a thief in Calimport. The forbidden allure of business done in the shadows of a dangerous tavern, he knew, could be as deadly as the hidden knives of the rogues at every table. He rather understandably balks.

Bruenor snaps at him not to argue. I feel like Bruenor might at least consider hearing out the only one of them with actual city experience. I'm not saying he shouldn't go in, but maybe Regis's perspective might make for a valuable warning? Regis did get you assholes into the city after all. Drizzt comforts Regis saying he's well-guarded, while Wulfgar gets endearingly dramatic:

"Overly proud in his inexperience, Wulfgar pressed the statement even further. "What cause would they have to do us harm? Surely we have done no wrong," he demanded. Then he proclaimed loudly to challenge the shadows, "Fear not, little friend. My hammer shall sweep aside any who stand against us!"

"The pride o' youth," Bruenor grumbled as he, Regis, and Drizzt exchanged incredulous looks.

...so have you guys ever bothered to actually explain the dangers of the city? Because it kind of sounds like you haven't and are judging your friend for not being psychic.

Anyway, they go into the tavern, and it's all decay and rabble. And I realize why I like all of these descriptions, they're the same ones a dungeon master gives you when you go to a new place. Well, at least it's entertaining.

Bruenor goes to the bar while Drizzt claims a table. He makes Wulfgar accompany him like an overgrown toddler, saying that he's too excited for such business. Regis smooths over ruffled feathers by pointing out that no one would mess with a tough old dwarf like Bruenor, but a tiny halfling and skinny elf might look like better sport. Regis winks at Drizzt when it works.

I wish they wouldn't patronize Wulfgar like this. Yes, he's inexperienced here. But he did unite a fucking Barbarian tribe. He's not a child. (Well, I mean, he's seventeen, so he kind of is a child. But still.)

Bruenor comes back complaining about the cost of the room, and Regis gets a pretty good line about the rooms not being meant to be taken for a whole night. Drizzt continues to infantilize Wulfgar:

Drizzt nodded and sipped the mead, not really wanting any of it, but hoping that a shared drink might relax the dwarf. The drow, too, was anxious to be gone from Luskan, fearful that his own identity - he kept his cowl pulled even tighter in the tavern's flickering torchlight might bring them more trouble. He worried further for Wulfgar, young and proud, and out of his element. The barbarians of Icewind Dale, though merciless in battle, were undeniably honorable, basing their society's structure entirely on strict and unbending codes. Drizzt feared that Wulfgar would fall easy prey to the false images and treachery of the city. On the road in the wild lands Wulfgar's hammer would keep him safe enough, but here he was likely to find himself in deceptive situations involving disguised blades, where his mighty weapon and battle-prowess offered little help.

I'm sure the narrative will prove Drizzt right, but I'm really annoyed on Wulfgar's behalf. So anyway, Wulfgar enthusiastically jumps up to go meet the contact, only to get scolded by Bruenor to sit down and shut his mouth. Bruenor doesn't want unwanted attention. Again did any of you guys ever bother to EXPLAIN this shit to Wulfgar?

Bruenor also says that their destination is no place for a "too-big fighter" like Wulfgar, and he'll stay with Regis and keep his mouth shut and back to the wall. Wulfgar is humiliated by this. Drizzt is just happy that Bruenor is as patronizing and infantilizing toward Wulfgar as he is. Regis smoothes things over again by demanding Wulfgar stay to protect him.

I do like the shift here of seeing Regis in his element. The others tend to treat him as a joke or a load, but his talent for "diplomacy" shines here. He really does seem like he knows how to navigate this kind of place. So of course Bruenor is leaving him behind.

Drizzt and Bruenor had to an empty alleyway so Drizzt can call Guenhwyvar the magic panther. Because THAT won't be fucking conspicuous in a city. Why are you worried about Wulfgar again, guys? Drizzt sends Guen a scouting. AGAIN, Guen might be stealthy, but she is also a fucking panther!

When Drizzt emerges, Bruenor asks where the cat is, and Drizzt obnoxiously says "Where we need him most." (I'm not going to bitch about the gender confusion as, you may recall, Salvatore actually always intended Guen to be female and the publishers decided to be idiots about it.)

He started off down Half-Moon Street. "Fear not, mighty Bruenor, Guenhwyvar's eyes are upon us, even if ours cannot return their protective gaze!"

The dwarf glanced all around nervously, beads of sweat visible at the base of his horned helm. He had known Drizzt for several years, but had never gotten comfortable around the magical cat.

Drizzt hid his smile under his cowl.

Drizzt is kind of a dick. ALSO THEY ARE IN A FUCKING CITY.

Bruenor and Drizzt find a place called Rat Alley. He's looking for someone named Whisper, a name he'd received from the merchant in Ten Towns. They hear a crossbow, and Drizzt pinpoints it to a boarded window nearby. They find Whisper and...surprise, she's a woman.

Wow, we actually made it to TWO women in this series, and it only took us an entire novel and one chapter to get here!